Lambert in line for federal bailout, director ‘very happy’ with amount

Lambert in line for federal bailout, director ‘very happy’ with amount
April 15, 2020 Jerry Vallely

This story was originally published in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 15, 2020.


Jacob Kirn | St. Louis Business Journal


St. Louis Lambert International Airport is set to receive nearly $60 million from federal CARES Act grants put in place to aid facilities as air traffic plummets amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said she’s “very happy with the revenue share we’ve got.”

Still, it’s not clear how the funding will be used, as the hit to the airport’s budget isn’t yet known. “It’s going to be another two weeks before we get a good analysis,” she said, adding that both aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue, such as retail and parking, would be way off.

Possible uses for the federal funds include debt service, Airport Improvement Program projects, keeping workers on payroll, and paying utilities and other operating expenses, according to Hamm-Niebruegge. She said the airport can choose to take the money in this fiscal year, which ends June 30, or payments in intervals. It will work with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Central Region Airports Division on the grant application…”

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